The Importers and Exporters Association of Ghana urges the government to prioritize retraining frontline port officials instead of rushing to introduce artificial intelligence (AI) at the country’s ports. They stress that the existing Integrated Customs Management System (ICUMS) already contains the necessary tools to prevent revenue leakages.
This comes after Finance Minister Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson announced in the 2026 Budget a plan to deploy AI to reduce human interference and boost customs revenue collection.
In an interview with Citi Business News, Samson Asaki Awingobit, Executive Secretary of the Association, emphasized that building human capacity should come before adopting new technologies. He highlighted that ICUMS has proven effective over the past five years in improving revenue collection, and the system itself is not the issue.
Awingobit suggested focusing on refresher training for senior officers to better utilize existing tools. He also called for motivating ethical staff and weeding out corrupt officials collaborating with importers, arguing this approach would yield better results than implementing a parallel AI system.
He concluded that Ghana already possesses both the technology and capable personnel to enhance port revenue, provided human resources are properly strengthened.
Story by: Mercy Addai Turkson #ahotoronline.com